Roland Cutinho
Manchester United make their second attempt to convince Adrien Rabiot to consider a move to Old Trafford
According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United have held talks with Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot’s mother for a second time as they ponder a move for the French star.
The 28-year-old will be a free agent this summer if he rejects a new contract proposal from the Serie A giants. Her mother, who is in turn his agent, has been handling her son’s contract negotiations.
Man United are well-informed about this situation since they have held talks with the player’s mother, Veronique. The Daily Mail revealed that United director John Murtough travelled to Turin last year in order to hold face-to-face talks with Rabiot’s mother.
However, even after accepting a £15 million deal for the French midfielder, the club was unable to fulfil the 28-year-old’s wage demands.
Meanwhile, Juventus are wary of losing their prized asset for free, and they will be working hard to convince the player to sign a new contract. On the other side of the shore, United manager Erik ten Hag still holds high regard for Rabiot.
Therefore, the club has acted swiftly and started an initial round of talks with his mother in an attempt to seal the deal this summer. Still, it would not be easy to deal with Veronique, who is known for her tough attitude when dealing with transfer procedures.
In the past, she has had conflicts with sporting directors, managers and even requested to attend training sessions. She openly voiced her frustrations when Rabiot was temporarily demoted to PSG’s reserves due to a wage dispute.
Hence, the Red Devils will have a difficult road to carve as they aim to strengthen the midfield compartment.
Man United would need to find common ground with the player on his wage demands. It would be safe to say that signing Rabiot would be a big plus for the club.
He brings a lot of experience and the European pedigree needed to challenge for major titles. The 28-year-old has won five Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain and one Serie A title with Juventus. He has also been a key member of Didier Deschamps’s French team.
This season, he has discovered his goal-scoring attributes by scoring eight goals and providing four assists in 32 appearances for the Serie A giants.
In our opinion, Rabiot’s dominant and aggressive style of play will suit Ten Hag’s system. The French star can play as a box-to-box midfielder and also as a no.6. He could pair well with Casemiro, and form a strong link-up play at the centre of the field.
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Hence, the Red Devils would be planning to generate funds through player sales and act swiftly to make this deal a success.
But let’s be true to ourselves: the fans will be unhappy if the club suffers similar wage-related issues as they faced last summer. In the end, no player is bigger than the club.
Only time will tell whether they will be able to land the ‘big fish’ this time around.
